Jane Waggoner Deschner builds shrine to humanity in ‘Remember Me’

In a world filled with data and discard, Jane Waggoner Deschner has built a shrine to humanity. She is a collector of moments, experiences shared through discarded family photographs and phrases from obituaries.

In her magnificent exhibition at the Yellowstone Art Museum, on display through Jan. 15, you’ll see yourself on these walls. In the lives of others, you’ll see our shared humanity, our hopes and dreams.

Draped doilies, knit afghans, and all these photographed faces with phrases stitched around them … there are thousands and thousands of stitches here. It’s as if she could heal us by bringing us back together. With each stitch, Jane brings us all closer together.

Hands down, my favorite moment in this radio interview for Yellowstone Public Radio came when Jane told me why 56 sweaters she knit when her children were little are on display.

“I did a lot of sewing and that kind of thing, because it was still there the next day,” Jane said “Nobody ate it. Nobody got it dirty. Nobody threw it away. It was evidence that I’ve been there.”

Listen to the episode of Resounds, which aired Dec. 12, at ypradio.org.